disconnected // l.h

[one]

"Cal, seriously?" I questioned, lying sideways on my magenta colored futon. I shifted, uncomfortably, holding the game controller in my hands. I tilted my head at the paused game on the screen, "You're calling me now?"

My phone was lost somewhere underneath the mountain of pillows that separated the couch from the coffee table. Calum's voice spoke from the speaker phone, loudly, "Why is your voice muffled?"

I leaned over, reaching beneath the pile of cushions until my fingers clasped around the sleek case. "No reason," I chuckle, nervously, "I'm in the middle of something extremely important, mind you."

Calum sighs, "Leena, are you playing my Xbox, again?" At that moment, my foot slips from it's resting position on the sofa handle and I fall into the mound of pillows headfirst.

"No," I mumble, placing the phone on the coffee table above me, "I'm playing your Play Station. You left it in my dorm, so I have dibs." I struggle to my feet, pushing the table away from me, creating creases on the rug underneath. "Why did you interrupt my losing streak, by the way?"

I jumped up, shuffling through the pillows to turn off the console and television a few feet ahead. Cal answered, "I was thinking we'd go out to dinner. My treat." His accented voice perked up and I couldn't resist.

"Mm, fast food?" I inquired, making my way to the make shift bedroom of the dormitory. I took my best friend off speaker phone and held it up to my ear, "Nandos? They opened one up in the city, I think-"

"No, no," He chuckles, "Dress nice, though."

I laughed, opening up the sliding wooden door to my closet, "My closet consists of sweatpants and sweatshirts, Cal. Would I get yelled at for wearing my Nirvana hoodie?"

"First impressions last a lifetime," He says, but before I can question it, he adds on, "I'm on my way, Leen. Change out of your penguin pajamas and meet me in the lobby."

"How come you always know when I'm wearing those?"

"That's all you ever wear." Calum laughs, "I'll see you." With that, he hangs up the phone. I throw the smartphone onto my bed, turning to face my closet again.

Calum and I had been best friends since the glorious days of our junior year in high school. He'd moved to New York City from Sydney, which explains his adorable accent. I've never been, but I could tell he missed his home. If it wasn't for my sarcasm and awkward charm, we wouldn't have been even close to friendship.

Now that we were both in our first year of university, the pressure of new places and new people was lifted. We had each other, which was just what we needed.

He didn't talk about his life before moving, so I didn't push, but after months of questions, he finally had admitted that he had friends back home he missed. I didn't get any pictures, but the long international calls and video chats he had were proof enough.

I pulled out a pair of black high waisted skinny jeans from the top shelf and a gold studded blouse from a broken hanger. I shrugged on my infamous leather jacket and black chuck taylors. After I finished tying the ratted laces, my phone chimed with a text message from Calum:

cal pal : better have changed outta those penguin pjs ! x

I smiled, then slid my phone in my pocket before jogging to the bathroom. I was blessed with having a single dorm, where no one could ever bother me or clog up the toilet.

I glanced at myself in the mirror and gasped; my hair was a birds nest, raven black strands sticking up in all different directions. My eyes were rimmed with smudged black eyeliner from the morning and my lips were incredibly chapped. Ugh.